Uconn

Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie yells instructions to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Providence, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

STORRS — There is no big secret as to who will see the most time on the court for the UConn men's basketball team.

"If they rebound, they play," coach Kevin Ollie said Friday. "I put that nugget out there. Whoever grabs the rebound is going to play."

It is, of course, a bit more complicated than that. The Huskies need to score and play defense. The former shouldn't be much of an issue, and the latter is always a UConn staple.

But Ollie's point is taken. The Huskies finished 290th in rebounding last season. They still managed to fashion a 20-10 record in a season that included a postseason ban. Whatever failings UConn had last year, it largely found a way to overcome them.

All Ollie sees is how much better they could have been if they rebounded better.

"He's really emphasizing boxing out this year," junior guard Ryan Boatright said. "We spend quite a bit of time in practice on the rebounding section. He pounds into our heads that we were 290th in the NCAA last year. He refuses to be that low this year."

Unlike last year, the Huskies have better tools to get the job done this year. The only problem with those tools is their youth. Tyler Olander returns, but he is just coming off a lengthy suspension and needs to get in basketball shape.

Phillip Nolan is a sophomore, and Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey are freshmen. DeAndre Daniels can rebound well when the mood strikes, but he's more of a swingman counted on mostly for scoring. All of that might be the reason why Ollie sometimes ditches the one-on-one box-out drill for a more physically challenging two-on-two drill.

The Huskies were spirited Friday in their running of that.

"That's a new one," Olander said. "I think he's just pulling out all the tricks. We do three or four box-out drills every day. If we mess up, we're on the line running. If we give up offensive rebounds, we're running.

"It's definitely the point of emphasis."

Getting back: Olander, whose Florida arrest in March brought a suspension that was extended by a second arrest last month, was reinstated last week by Ollie.

Ollie is much less concerned about what the senior does on the court as he is with what Olander does off the court.

"I'm checking every appointment, every class," Ollie said."I could care less about energy (on the court). If he's not showing energy off the court, he's got a problem with me. I told him this is his last time.

"He's changing his ways. It starts with him. Hopefully, he can create something special for his life. His time here is expiring. There's a date on that. He has to realize that. Hopefully, he uses this time to be a better young man and have a good senior season."

Olander spent the suspension recovering from off-season foot surgery and trying to keep his game in order. He said being away from the team was difficult.

"I made mistakes," he said. "One of the first things I thought about both times was, 'This is going to be all over ESPN.' That stuck with me. It's unfortunate when it happens and harder when it happens to you. It happened to me. It's something you have to deal with being in this position. I'm just going to move forward from it.

"I realized what I had to do and that the things I had done were selfish. If I really want to be a part of this team, I had to change it."

No decision on Facey: Ollie said UConn is still waiting to hear the NCAA's ruling on Facey's eligibility. Facey graduated high school in Jamaica and then again in New York, which is apparently a no-no in the eyes of the NCAA.

UConn is hopeful that Facey will be eligibile to play this year.

If the NCAA deems Facey ineligible, he would have to sit out at least this season and could lose an additional season.

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